narrow sit bone width and saddles

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strobbekoen
Posts: 4426
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 6:24 pm
Location: BELGIUM

by strobbekoen

I am trying to help someone narrow down his saddle choice.
Apart from the obvious variations in saddle shapes, cutouts, etc.. is there any way to have some deduction on required saddle width ? I suppose this would also be related to the saddle models but few manufacturers actually offer a good guide for this.

edit: just been informed his sit bone width is only 9cm

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HillRPete
Posts: 2284
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:08 am
Location: Pedal Square

by HillRPete

Yes, the "effective" width can be quite different from the actual width, because it depends on the lateral sloping. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would recommend to try the Selle San Marco Aspide -- narrow in the front, with increasingly better support towards the end. It can take a bit of experimentation to get used to, I needed to move back enough for good fit. Depends on anatomy and position, of course.

monkeyburger
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:45 pm
Location: Bali, Indonesia

by monkeyburger

+1 for the Aspide. I also found the standard Ponza (with thin padding, not the POWER Ponza) reasonably comfortable, but the Aspide has a bit more flex in the shell and a much nicer nose shape. It is extremely comfy on 6 hour rides. I would love to try the Romin, but I wonder if the 143mm width would feel like a 2x4 up my backside.

Monkeyburger
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iamalex
Posts: 234
Joined: Sun Oct 30, 2011 5:25 pm
Location: London, UK

by iamalex

I'd be wary of how much academic reasoning you put into it. What's going to feel right is going to be difficult to deduce mathematically. Best bet is to try as many saddles as possible - either demo units from shops, loaners from friends, or cheapo secondhand items from eBay (Sell them after experimenting the next time a free listing weekend deal comes along). As a starter perhaps look for saddles less than 145mm wide, I find they dig into the back of my things.

I have a preference for narrow saddles and my favourite to date is the Prologo Scratch Pro (134mm width). Sublime.

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